But Wild Goose don’t you think it’s just a load of ■■■■■■■■? Where do you draw the line? When HS2 gets going they’ll probably want drivers doing diversity training.
Next up a customer will insist all drivers understand Islam or no work.
WildGoose:
For all the bravado, posturing and opinions, it’s mostly fear of the unknown that prevents the average driver wanting to put themselves out there for this. Of course, being an industry of huge peer pressure, nobody will just come out and say:“I don’t want to do this because; It scares me/I fear ridicule by my mates/I am overweight/I am too unfit/I am worried about what people will think.”
It’s pretty simple really. The customer demands FORS/CLOCS/Crossrail from the company or they don’t get the work. I deal with all the compliance at our place and it’s a massive amount of work and hassle, but it needs doing so I get it done. Part of that is drivers are required to go on the course, so they go, or we find drivers who will.
In the end, after all the nonsense, at our place all the drivers have gone quietly. Not had a single one chuck their job in over it yet, despite the threats. Most of them came back having reported enjoying it.
Words and actions; often very, very different things.
That’s fair enough tbh. If someone wants to pay me to ■■■■ about on a pushbike I’ll happily do it all day long, but please let us not dress this up as something it isn’t. At best it’s just pandering to over educated and underworked “managers” with sod all better to do than think up ridiculous hoops for people to jump through. At worst it is bending over and spreading our cheeks to anyone who shouts loudest.
Perhaps in the interests of “inclusion” (which seems to be the last east in vogue buzzword) we should also spend time driving a milk float to better understand the challenges that Ernie faces daily. We could even blindfold drivers and have them attempt to negotiate city streets in order to better understand the challenges the visually impaired face.
We drive trucks, we deliver crap from point A to point B. That’s it. Period.
Driver-Once-More:
Tris:
It wasn’t too bad, learnt nothing new, but I guess that’s to be expected on a course designed for 5 year old primary school kids.Enjoy, you’ll all be doing it soon.
Not a cat in hells chance will I be doing it
+1 mate. No cycling for me. WTF is wrong with you lot? Grow a pair and say no FFS 
eagerbeaver:
WTF is wrong with you lot? Grow a pair and say no FFS
OK, so there’s no costa coffee stop along the cycling route but on ours we got free ice cream (paid for by the cycle guys) and spent two hours in the pub at the end waiting for the other lot to finish the classroom bit. Can’t obviously guarantee there’d be the same on all courses.
Can see your point, but depending on how critical this course is to doing your job, not doing it might put you further towards the top of the “first to be removed” list when they’re looking for redundancies. In the job where I did this, we did a huge amount to construction sites which required FORS so anyone not doing it would have been heading up that list very fast. Yeah ok, not much of a threat to some, but the rest of us find it harder to get new jobs. 
trevHCS:
eagerbeaver:
WTF is wrong with you lot? Grow a pair and say no FFSOK, so there’s no costa coffee stop along the cycling route but on ours we got free ice cream (paid for by the cycle guys) and spent two hours in the pub at the end waiting for the other lot to finish the classroom bit. Can’t obviously guarantee there’d be the same on all courses.
Can see your point, but depending on how critical this course is to doing your job, not doing it might put you further towards the top of the “first to be removed” list when they’re looking for redundancies. In the job where I did this, we did a huge amount to construction sites which required FORS so anyone not doing it would have been heading up that list very fast. Yeah ok, not much of a threat to some, but the rest of us find it harder to get new jobs.
FEAR of redundancy. FEAR of losing a job is what will make this job worse and worse. What’s next, a pedestrian course?
Keep bending over folks…
I’d rather do this then sit in a classroom listening to someone who has never driven a truck before tell me how to get in and out of it via a powerpoint presentation.
the maoster:
WildGoose:
For all the bravado, posturing and opinions, it’s mostly fear of the unknown that prevents the average driver wanting to put themselves out there for this. Of course, being an industry of huge peer pressure, nobody will just come out and say:“I don’t want to do this because; It scares me/I fear ridicule by my mates/I am overweight/I am too unfit/I am worried about what people will think.”
It’s pretty simple really. The customer demands FORS/CLOCS/Crossrail from the company or they don’t get the work. I deal with all the compliance at our place and it’s a massive amount of work and hassle, but it needs doing so I get it done. Part of that is drivers are required to go on the course, so they go, or we find drivers who will.
In the end, after all the nonsense, at our place all the drivers have gone quietly. Not had a single one chuck their job in over it yet, despite the threats. Most of them came back having reported enjoying it.
Words and actions; often very, very different things.
That’s fair enough tbh. If someone wants to pay me to ■■■■ about on a pushbike I’ll happily do it all day long, but please let us not dress this up as something it isn’t. At best it’s just pandering to over educated and underworked “managers” with sod all better to do than think up ridiculous hoops for people to jump through. At worst it is bending over and spreading our cheeks to anyone who shouts loudest.
Perhaps in the interests of “inclusion” (which seems to be the last east in vogue buzzword) we should also spend time driving a milk float to better understand the challenges that Ernie faces daily. We could even blindfold drivers and have them attempt to negotiate city streets in order to better understand the challenges the visually impaired face.
We drive trucks, we deliver crap from point A to point B. That’s it. Period.
Yep, I’ll also happily ■■■■ about on a bike for a day, it would be a laugh. But as above, spare me the bull about it improving my awareness and understanding of cyclists.
I also appreciate that for some riding a bike if you haven’t done it for 50 years can be a bit daunghing. And if physically not up to it even humiliating, so I for one wouldn’t be a supporter of this initiative on those grounds. Plus I think it would make an interesting court case on the grounds of discrimination or disability…
Sent via TPN, so it’s either lost, damaged or late…
Tris:
It wasn’t too bad, learnt nothing new, but I guess that’s to be expected on a course designed for 5 year old primary school kids.Enjoy, you’ll all be doing it soon.
. Got one of these when I was 9 years old. Will it count?
Driver-Once-More:
Tris:
It wasn’t too bad, learnt nothing new, but I guess that’s to be expected on a course designed for 5 year old primary school kids.Enjoy, you’ll all be doing it soon.
Not a cat in hells chance will I be doing it
Nor I, I’m disabled and can’t get on a bike.
8wheels:
When I did it a couple a years ago there was a couple of smart arses who tried the can’t ride a bike trick. They were given a paper map and told where to walk to so they could observe the rest of the group at the junctions, roundabouts etc. and told that if they didn’t turn up they wouldn’t pass.
In my case, that would be discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. Failure to make reasonable adjustments to ensure people with disabilities are not put at a disadvantage.
Enjoy, you’ll all be doing it soon.
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0. Got one of these when I was 9 years old. Will it count?
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You’ll be able to change places with the instructor with a qualification like that. 
New from FORS…
Put on a “polite” hi viz and do horse awareness.
Tractor driving (you might get that one subsidised)
Disability awareness by riding a mobility scooter to Wetherspoons and then sit there all day talking about benefits.
Elderly awareness; Drive a Rover/Prius/Micra to a garden centre, going 20mph under every limit, indicating at every turn when still 2 miles away, and shaking your head in disdain at anyone overtaking you.
Cronus:
Tris:
It wasn’t too bad, learnt nothing new, but I guess that’s to be expected on a course designed for 5 year old primary school kids.Enjoy, you’ll all be doing it soon.
- Got one of these when I was 9 years old. Will it count?
Kin 'ell that’s a blast from the past
Muckaway:
New from FORS…
Put on a “polite” hi viz and do horse awareness.Tractor driving (you might get that one subsidised)
Disability awareness by riding a mobility scooter to Wetherspoons and then sit there all day talking about benefits.
Elderly awareness; Drive a Rover/Prius/Micra to a garden centre, going 20mph under every limit, indicating at every turn when still 2 miles away, and shaking your head in disdain at anyone overtaking you.
Is it just coincidence that this group of people also are found at a pub quiz?